Shirou and 7aber
by FoxOnPie
Summary: For the 5th. Holy Grail War, Shirou Emiya summons a Saber for his Servant. ...As does Rin Tohsaka. ...And (seemingly) Shinji Matou. ...And Illyasviel von- long story short, for some reason, every Servant is a Saber. Just what kind of Heaven's Feel is going to happen in Fuyuki, this time?
1. Black, White, and Blue All Over

"Rin-sama. Wake up, Rin-sama. It's not a good idea to sleep outside in your attire, regardless of how cute you look." The speaker's strong, gentle, and slightly annoying voice(to the listener, at least) forced Rin Tohsaka out of her sleep. Shaking her upper body also helped.

"I'm up, I'm up," Rin said, still feeling a little groggy as she stood up and turned to the blonde woman dressed in white. "I'm guessing the enemy's here."

"I felt a presence, but then it suddenly vanished."

"In other words, you lost track of him."

"It's not like that, Rin-sama! Please don't say such things!" The blonde looked like she was about to cry in an incredibly cute manner.

"...Whatever. Just keep an eye out for when he comes back."

"Right! You can count on me, Rin-sama!" All traces of sadness vanished from her face as she smiled and did an about-face.

_Geez, _Rin thought with a facepalm. _I know I should be happy that I didn't get an Archer, or something, but couldn't I have gotten a _better _Saber? She's supposed to be a Heroic Spirit, but she acts like a damn teenager; it's so annoying! ...Well, at least she's good at housework and-! _Rin felt it, and judging by Saber's face, she felt it, as well. Incredible power, incredible killing intent; it could only be an enemy Servant. But from where?

"Isn't this surprising? I never expected to come across a doppelganger of myself." Apparently from above. Rin and Saber looked up to face their opponent only to be completely shocked. Standing atop a platform of black prana, dressed in black clothing and armor that covered most of her body, was a Servant bearing an identical appearance to Saber.

_What in the-?! Why does she look like Saber?! ...Are they twins in some legend? No, if that was the case, Saber wouldn't look so surprised._

"Even more surprising, though," the Saber lookalike kept talking as the platform lowered her to their level, "is that her Master is Tokiomi's daughter. Tokiomi's… _eldest _daughter."

"?!" If Rin didn't think something was wrong before, she did now. For a Servant to be familiar with her father, and even know about her sister, was definitely not normal and was _definitely _freaking her out. But what disturbed Rin the most was the way the Saber lookalike presented herself. For some reason, she had an incredibly alluring air and presence, the kind you'd expect to find in a powerful ruler. Simply listening to her words calmed Rin, and it was this fact that scared her, immensely.

"You've grown a lot over the years." Without realizing it, the Saber lookalike was standing in front of Rin and cupping her chin. "I'm sure your magecraft has developed greatly, as well. Would you be so kind as to… use it for my sake?" Rin felt overjoyed and terrified at the same time, prompting her to jump backwards as she fired a Gandr at her face. A cloud of smoke was created from the impact, but rather than it be against her face, it was against a shield of black energy.

"...You almost got me. Impressive. I now have a desire to kill you. Doppelganger," the lookalike turned towards Saber, "I'd suggest trying to stop me from acting upon that."

"...If it's protecting my Master…" Saber started before summoning _something_ into her hands, the object in question being invisible and covered in a veil of wind, "you don't have to worry about a thing!"

* * *

After about an hour or so of hard work, Shirou Emiya finished cleaning up the archery club's shooting range, despite having no obligation to do so. He was really too nice a person, especially since he was doing it because an asshole like Shinji asked him to do it. Regardless, he was finished, so now he could go home, and probably would if he didn't hear a loud noise, almost like an explosion, coming from outside.

_Sounds like it came from the courtyard, _Shirou thought to himself. It was in no conceivable way a good idea to run towards explosions, or things that sounded like them, but Shirou's curiosity got the best of him. That being said, Shirou ran out towards the courtyard and saw a truly amazing sight: two identical women, one dressed in white and swinging an invisible object surrounded by wind and the other dressed in black and standing still while blocking all blows with some sort of dark energy.

_What the hell?_

* * *

The fight was incredibly one-sided. Saber's strikes were all precise and powerful, capable of hurting any normal foe, but this lookalike was no normal foe. Every strike was blocked effortlessly by that dense black prana.

_What intense prana… is this Servant Caster? _Saber asked herself. _Maybe, but Casters don't usually fight directly, like this. It also doesn't explain why we look alike…_

"What's wrong, Doppelganger?" Caster(?) asked as she blocked another strike. "You said you were going to protect your Master, yet you can't even touch me. I suppose I should have expected as much; one with such a feminine appearance could hardly be considered a knight."

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with looking feminine!" Saber swung at Caster(?) again, this time with enough force to push her foe back a bit. "_You _could learn a thing or two from me. Just look at how pale your hair is. What kind of product are you using, anyway?!"

_Saber… not now… _Rin thought with a facepalm.

"Oh? I guess this dog has a little more bite than I thought. It looks like I'll have to actually try a little. ...But first… I need to take care of this little rat." Caster(?) turned her gaze away from Saber and towards a completely different direction. Saber and Rin, who was watching from a distance, followed this action and saw a redheaded boy running towards the main building, Caster(?) following suit.

"There were still people here?!" Rin exclaimed. "Saber, we have to hurry before Caster(?) tries to kill him!"

* * *

Shirou had no idea what was going on. Why were there people fighting with invisible weapons and black energy at his school?

_Were those girls magi? _Shirou thought as he collapsed against the wall to catch his breath. _No, they couldn't be; nothing about them felt human! Spirits, then? Why would spirits be fighting like that, though?_

"Hey."

"!" Shirou gasped as the woman in black suddenly appeared before him.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry, but I'm not a liar." Without another word, the black energy materialized into a blade and flew at Shirou's heart, piercing his heart in one blow.

_No… No way… Am I going to die like this… without becoming a superhero…? _Shirou fell flat against the floor as his life started to fade away.

"...There's no way that he isn't dead, but just to make sure," Caster(?)'s black prana turned into a guillotine above Shirou's neck, "I should decapitate him." Caster(?) prepared for the blade to drop, but her Instincts made her reform the black prana into a shield at her left. The shield was very appropriate as it allowed to block a surprise attack from Saber, who was coming at her like a supersonic bullet.

_Blocked again! _Saber thought to herself.

_That attack must have been Strike Air. _Caster(?) looked down to the ground and saw that her position had changed. "Once again, you've managed to push me back, and once again, I realize that I have underestimated you. I am beginning to acknowledge you as a warrior ever so slightly."

"Thank… you?" What Caster(?) said sounded like a compliment, but Saber still felt like she was being talked down to.

"As a present for such an accomplishment, I, Saber Alternative, shall leave you alone, for now. Don't expect this kindness to be repeated, though." Caster, no, Saber Alternative, fired a blast of black prana at the window, shattering the glass. She then jumped out the broken window, formed a platform of black prana, and flew away from Homurahara.

* * *

"She called herself 'Saber Alternative'?" Rin asked her Servant after the two returned home.

"She did, Rin-sama," Saber said. "That black Servant is undoubtedly of the Saber class."

"...I'd like to argue with you," Rin moved her index finger through the air as if there was something there, "but no matter how many times I look at it, she comes up as a Saber on the stat screen. Still, though, how are there two Sabers? Except for that one time, each class can only be designated to one Servant! Maybe I should ask Kirei about it." Saber flashed Rin a slightly disgruntled look. "What? He _could _know something, even if it _is _annoying to talk to him."

"Yes, well…" Saber desperately wanted to turn the conversation away from that priest and to something different. "I'm surprised that you would use your family's pendant to heal that boy. I thought you cared a great deal for it."

"I did, but it's just a possession. It can be replaced, but a life can't, you know."

"But it looked like you had already accepted his death before you saw his face. Did the fact that it was Emiya-kun change your mind, perhaps?" Saber had a wry grin when she asked this.

"W-What are you implying?!"

"Nothing~!"

"It better be nothing, you stupid Saber!" Saber couldn't help but giggle at her flustered Master.

"...Hey, Rin-sama… what if Saber Alternative figures out that Emiya-kun is alive?"

"..." Rin blinked a few times until her thoughts were in synch with her Servant's, prompting them both to run for the door.

* * *

When Shirou awoke, much to his surprise, he wasn't dead. The mysterious woman in black was gone, as well, the only thing around him being an odd jewel. Not wanting to give his assailant the chance to finish the job, Shirou took the jewel and went home as fast as he could, which wasn't that fast when you were recovering from a stabbing. Not even having the strength to get to his bedroom, Shirou simply collapsed in his living room as he tried to get some sleep.

"! She's back!" That plan died when he sensed a presence that could only belong to her. "I need a weapon. Something, anything! ...That figures." Sighing, Shirou picked up a rolled up newspaper and created a new Magic Circuit to use Reinforcement on it, hardening it as much as he could.

"It's quite funny how you think a newspaper can defeat me. In a pathetic way, I mean."

"!" Shirou turned around to see the woman in blank standing right in front of him.

"You know, as I started towards this house, my desire to kill you started to dwindle to the point that I was only going to pop in to scare you a bit. But when I saw the nameplate on the gate, saw that your last name was 'Emiya', well… I knew that I'd regret not killing you, the son of the Magus Killer."

_Huh? Is she talking about my dad? What does she mean by "Magus Killer"?_

"As such, rather than the original quick and painless death I had planned for you, your demise shall now be rather slow and agonizing. Do your best to enjoy it." With that being said, a blast of black prana was fired at Shirou, the boy barely putting his newspaper up to guard as he was blasted through the glass door and into the yard.

_Damn… this crazy chick's too strong… gotta hide! _Shirou quickly stood up and ran towards the only place he could hide himself: the shed.

"Running away, are you? Meat _does _taste better if the cattle are allowed exercise." The woman in black stepped through the broken door and ran after Shirou. After only a few a few seconds, she caught up to Shirou and kicked him in the back, sending him flying into the shed. She quickly followed him into the shed.

"Are you ready to give up, boy?" Rather than respond, Shirou swung his newspaper at his opponent… only for her to pull it away with a black tentacle and break it apart. "How about now?"

"Are you crazy…? I still haven't protected anyone… still haven't become a superhero… like hell I'm giving up!"

_How persistent… and boring. _The woman in black prepared to off Shirou right there, but then she noticed something interesting: a summoning circle behind him. "I'll be outside while you two get acquainted."

"What?" The woman in black turned around and walked out of the shed. "Hey! Get back-" Then, it happened. A bright light shot up from behind Shirou, partially blinding him as he gazed upon it. When it faded, he saw, to his surprise, a woman identical to the one that was trying to kill him, though this one's eyes were green and her outfit was primarily blue without a trace of black.

"Servant Saber has arrived, as summoned," the woman in blue said. "I ask you, are you my-" She never got to finish her sentence as Shirou, afraid that this woman would also try to kill him, ran out of the shed, ignoring the sudden pain in his left hand.

"...Did my Master just… run away from me?"


	2. Opening

"Master!" Blue Saber shouted as she ran out of the shed. "I insist that you come back here!"

"Forget it!" Shirou shouted back before tripping over his own feet. "I'm not just gonna stick around while you and your crazy sister try and kill me!"

"_Crazy sister"? Don't tell me one of the Servants is-_

"Hey." The darkness in front of Shirou opened up like a book, revealing the familiar figure of Saber Alternative.

_...That's not Morgan. _

"So now it's a blue one, then? ...No, it's more than that. It's an old memory that should have burned away nearly a century ago. I thought killing the boy would give me the most pleasure, but...oh, yes… killing you will be _much_ more enjoyable." The black Saber wrapped Shirou in a dark tentacle and threw him back towards Blue Saber, the boy landing hard on the ground next to her.

"I don't know who you are, why you look like me, or what it is you're talking about, but if it's a fight you want, I'll be happy to oblige." Blue Saber positioned her hands as if she was holding something, though it was invisible and its existence was only known through the swirling wind giving it shape. "Stand back, Master."

"Huh?" Shirou responded, standing up. "Hey, come on, I still don't know what's-" It was too late. The Blue Saber already kicked off the ground and launched herself at Saber Alternative. She swung her weapon at her opponent flawlessly. It was a strike that would get the most experienced of fighters, yet it only tore into a mass of black prana.

"What in the… What is this thing?"

"Now where would be the fun in telling you, exactly?" The black Saber asked in a mocking tone. "Still, though, you dug into it pretty deep; that other one could push me back, but my defense wouldn't actually break. I guess I've forgotten the strength I once held dear. However, such little power only serves to provide me with nostalgia. Tyrant Clap." The prana Blue Saber tore into suddenly morphed into a dragon head. Caught off-guard by this, Blue Saber was unable to defend as it bit down on her abdomen and threw her at the shed, the impact creating a large clang.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted as he ran to her. It was weird. Just a second ago, Shirou was scared that she was going to kill him, and he still didn't even understand what was going on. All of his doubts were tossed out of his mind, though, when he saw her thrown against the shed and give a pained expression that any normal girl would give.

"Are you alright?"

"Do not… underestimate me…" Blue Saber said as she got up. "I wouldn't be in the Saber Class if an attack like that would defeat me." She certainly acted tough, but the blood dripping out of her armor gave Shirou a different interpretation of her current state.

"But that wound…"

"It matters not if I can still fight. But if I may also be permitted a question… why are you concerned about me? I thought you were afraid of me."

"What kind of question is that? Anyone would be worried when someone gets hurt right in front of them! I still don't know what's going on, but… you definitely aren't like that one, so… sorry about before."

"...Thank you, Master." A small smile made its way to Blue Saber's face. After what happened earlier, she was afraid that this would be another War where she was forced to work with a Master she couldn't get along with, but it looked like that wouldn't be the case, this time.

"And stop calling me 'Master'. It's Shirou."

"'Shirou'. Yes, that sounds-"

"Are you two done yet?" Saber Alternative shouted, catching their attention. "I decided to give you two your little moment, but given how long you're taking to wrap things up, it feels like you're taking advantage of my kindness." The black Saber's prana morphed into three new dragon heads. "Shall we continue, Reflection of my Past?"

"Indeed!" Blue Saber charged forward as the dragon heads flew at her, all wishing for a repeat of what just happened. However, this time, she was prepared, and when the heads came at her, Blue Saber struck them with her invisible weapon in a way that tore them in two; Shirou was completely convinced that the weapon was a sword.

"Impressive. Not impressive enough, of course." The remains of the dragon heads transformed into tentacles, all shooting out at Blue Saber. However, her reflexes were too great, allowing her to weave through the attack(though a few managed to smack her body in various places) and get in front of Saber Alternative. With a mighty shout, Blue Saber swung her invisible weapon at Saber Alternative's head.

_What a fool, _Saber Alternative thought as her black prana formed a shield. _Doesn't she get that her meager strength isn't enough to- what?! _The black Saber's eyes widened a bit as she saw the armored portions of her opponent's outfit vanish. If the Blue Saber was who Saber Alternative thought she was, then she knew that doing this would greatly increase her opponent's speed and power. Silently cursing, Saber Alternative increased the strength of her shield, but it was just barely enough to save her; her head was fine, but Saber Alternative was knocked back and now had a cut on the side of her face.

_Damn! _Shirou thought. _She was so close! Still, though, it looks like she _can _be hit, at least._

"..." Silently, the black Saber touched the cut on her face, covering her finger in blood. When the red liquid started to drip onto the ground, a wicked smirk began to surface. "So I _can _be hurt, then!"

"Were you so conceited to believe that was impossible?" Blue Saber asked, only knowing one man that was ever so cocky.

"A little, actually! It was only because of the genius of that man that I lost before, but with him being dead, I thought a flawless victory was assured! Now, though… it looks like I must treat you to a much more satisfying defeat!" Saber Alternative positioned her arms like she was holding something in alignment to her chest. Suddenly, a black mass started to appear in her hands, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind.

_What… What in the… _That dark mass was any darker in color than the black prana. It was, however, far eviler than it. Shirou's heartbeat accelerated. He wanted to run, but he was frozen in place. He had no idea what was starting to emerge, no idea if it was threatening… yet it felt familiar. It felt just like the fire from ten years ago.

"...You are lucky that we seek the same end result." The wind subsided. The black mass vanished. Shirou was able to relax as Saber Alternative turned around and started to walk away.

"You're retreating?" Blue Saber asked.

"Not of my own volition. My Master doesn't want me to reveal my Noble Phantasm so early into the War. I don't disagree with that, but I am a bit miffed that I don't get to finish you."

"..."

"Oh! What an angry look you're giving me. Do you want to ignore this free pass? With that wound?"

"..." Although Blue Saber told Shirou it wasn't a big deal, her opponent's Tyrant Clap was indeed powerful; the tentacles also left a bit of damage. While she could still go on, a victory would be very hard to obtain, given the current circumstances. So, begrudgingly, she did away with her sword.

"That's a good girl. I thank you for understanding." This was clear condescension, yet neither Shirou nor Blue Saber felt completely insulted. "Goodbye, now. Kill you later." The black Saber jumped into the air and landed on a platform of black prana, the energy disc carrying her off into the night. As soon as she was out of sight, Blue Saber fell to one knee and clutched her side.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted as he ran over to her. "I _knew _that you were-"

"...Do not worry, Shirou; this is merely a reflex." As if she wasn't hurt at all, Blue Saber stood up without giving off a single expression of pain.

"! Your wound's healed!"

"Any Servant could recover from a wound like that; I simply didn't have time in the midst of battle."

"...So… could you tell me what's going on, now? Just what are 'Servants' and this 'War' supposed to be?"

"? You really don't know? How are you- …" Blue Saber re-materialized her armor and summoned her invisible sword. "Get back, Shirou. Another Servant approaches."

"What?!" As soon as the word left his mouth, a woman jumped into the yard, giving Shirou and Blue Saber looks of shock. Her armor was primarily white and she sported a ponytail, but the woman looked exactly like Blue Saber, even more so than the black one.

"Ah!" She suddenly blurted out. "Please put down your weapon! We're not here to fight you, honest!"

"You expect me to believe that? And what do you mean, 'we'?"

"Hey, Saber! The hell are you saying?!" This voice was new. It was right then that Shirou and Blue Saber noticed that White Saber was carrying someone on her back.

"But we only came here to fight Saber Alternative, and she's not here."

"So?! If there's still a Servant-"

"I think it might be Emiya-kun's."

"What?!"

"...Wait a minute…" Shirou started, "I _know _that voice! Tohsaka?!" The person on White Saber's back peeked out her head, revealing to Shirou that it was indeed the school idol Rin Tohsaka.

"H-Hey, Emiya-kun…"

* * *

After that, Shirou managed to convince Blue Saber not to attack Rin or White Saber. The four then went inside so Rin could explain everything, but before that happened, she saw the broken glass and apparently couldn't find it in her to ignore it.

"Wow," Shirou said in astonishment as he watched the glass repair itself. "That's incredible, Tohsaka."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked. "That's just basic magecraft."

"Yeah, well… I don't know the basics. I know Reinforcement and Structural Grasp, but nothing else."

"...Are you serious? Here I thought that you had some talent since you summoned Saber, but it turns out you're just an amateur. What a joke." Shirou couldn't believe that his idol actually had such a sharp tongue.

"It's not my fault! My dad wouldn't teach me until I was eight, and at that point, he was so sick that his magic circuits became useless!"

"Really? I've never heard of an illness like that. I'm feeling a bit generous, so let me have a doctor I know look at him for you. Where is he, anyway? If he's as sick as you're making him sound, he probably doesn't go far from this house."

"..." Shirou turned his head to the floor. "He's dead. Five years ago… he died peacefully outside on the porch."

"...Oh… Sorry about your loss." Shirou lifted his head up and smiled at her. "Hey, wipe that grin off your face! That was just an obligation, got it? An obligation!"

"Right…" _Man, who knew Tohsaka was such a- … _"That reminds me… that black Saber… 'Saber Alternative', you called her, she actually mentioned my dad."

_She knows about Emiya-kun's family, too?_

"She called him the 'Magus Killer'. Wonder what that means. …?" Shirou noticed that all three women had looks of shock. "What's wrong?"

"Whoa… I mean… Whoa… Just… How…" White Saber kept saying various things like this.

"Shirou, was your father's name 'Kiritsugu Emiya'?" Blue Saber asked.

"Yeah," Shirou responded. "By the way, he's not my biological father, he just adopted me. Wait, you know him, Saber? Was my dad a famous magus?"

"_In_famous is more like it," Rin said. "You don't get the name 'Magus Killer' by being a superhero or ally of justice or whatever."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm _saying _that your dad was a freelance assassin who killed for the highest bidder, regardless of whoever was involved. I heard he once blew up a jumbo jet just to kill one target. If you were asked to list heretic magi, he'd be the first one to come to mind."

"...Are you serious? Are you sure you're talking about my dad?"

"Does this face look _un_sure?"

"..."

"But anyway," Rin turned towards Blue Saber, "how do you know about him?"

"...I was his Servant in the War of ten years ago," she said. "Like you said Rin, Kiritsugu was a dangerous man. He fought without emotion, only seeking to clear his objectives… no matter how many lives were lost in the process. I never felt that Kiritsugu was an _utterly _cruel man… but I could neither understand him, nor get along with him."

"..." Shirou fell against the wall, the weight of what he heard being too much to bare. The Kiritsugu he knew, the Kiritsugu who saved his life, had always been such a kind, loving man. To hear that he was actually a heartless killer…

"If you need a second, well, third opinion, then let's go to the Church." Rin's voice caught his attention.

"?"

"That's where the supervisor is. His name's Kirei Kotomine," Blue Saber flinched at this, "and he was a Master in the last War, as well. If anyone can confirm what we're saying for you, it's him. Not only that, but I wanna ask him about all the irregularities of this War. Let's go, Emiya-kun, Saber."

"Alright," the Sabers said in unison.

"...This'll be annoying. Alright, Emiya-kun's Saber, you're just 'Saber'. Mine, um…" Rin looked at her Servant's skirt, "you're 'Saber Lily'."

"What a feminine thing for my Master to say," Lily beamed.

"...Shut up."

* * *

The four left for Shinto and headed up a large hill to the Fuyuki Church, the sole male silent the whole time. In order to not draw attention, Saber wore Shirou's raincoat(which, ironically, drew a large amount of attention) while Lily magically changed her outfit into a white blouse, white skirt of medium length, and white heeled boots that met her shins halfway(Saber found her choice of attire to be a bit strange). It's rather obvious, but this has little relevance.

After arriving at the Church, Shirou and Rin went inside while their Servants waited outside. The two magi walked up to the front where Shirou immediately found a seat and sat down.

"Your friend seems _very _energetic, Rin." He suddenly appeared as if he was there the whole time. Although the man dressed as a priest, his mocking tone of voice made the very thought rather ridiculous.

"I'm not in the mood for the usual, Kirei," Rin said to her guardian.

"When have I ever cared for that?"

"..." He made a good point. "Anyway, this is Shirou Emiya. He's the seventh Master in the Holy Grail War and knows absolutely nothing about it."

"Oh? Why does he not introduce himself? That's rather rude, don't you think?"

"He's not in the mood to talk right now, so he's just going to listen."

"I hope you don't expect me to give all of the mechanics to someone who doesn't even wish to speak."

"No. When I realized that he was going to be doing this, I just gave him the basics as we made our way over here; he nodded a few times, so I'm pretty sure he heard me. What I'm really here for is to ask you about the reason this War's so strange."

"'Strange'? What do you mean?"

"I _mean _that there are _three _Sabers! And they all seem like different versions of the same person!"

"...No, there aren't."

"Yes there-"

"There are seven."

"...What?!" Rin couldn't believe what she just heard, but she knew it was true. This man, Kirei Kotomine, was an insufferable jerk who got off on annoying everyone around him, including her, but he didn't tell lies(half-truths were a different story), so if he said that there were seven Sabers, then there were seven Sabers.

"Why do you look so surprised?"

"Don't play dumb like that! The Servant classes are Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin. Each Servant is summoned as one of those classes, and there are _never _multiple Servants to a class!"

"What about the Edelfelt sisters in the third War?"

"Th-That was different! Those two shared a Magic Crest, so they counted as one Master, despite each having their own Saber. You're not honestly suggesting that all the Masters have the same Crest, are you?"

"Of course not. You're not honestly taking me for such a fool, are you?"

"...Alright, then, what's up with this?"

"It's rather hard to say actually. Each Servant is merely a copy of a Heroic Spirit, so it's possible that the Grail simply produced seven copies of one. As for _why _this has happened, well… the Grail possesses a will of its own, so it might've gotten bored and decided to change things around after 200 years of failure."

_...That's utterly ridiculous. Still, though, it's a good reason, for now. _"What about this, Kirei? These Sabers can't go into spiritual form and they all seem to know things about the last War, like things about you, my father, and… Well, what about that?"

"..." Kirei had to ponder this for a moment. "It's possible that these Sabers have different contracts than regular Servants, allowing them to retain knowledge of previous summons in exchange for a lack of a spiritual form."

"But they couldn't have _all _been in the last War."

"Perhaps they weren't all in _our _fourth Holy Grail War, but _their own _fourth Holy Grail Wars."

"...!" It took Rin a few seconds to get what Kirei was alluding to. "Are you saying they're from parallel worlds?"

"Correct. The construction of the Holy Grail was overseen by by the Wizard Marshall Zeltrech, master of the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope. It's possible that the Holy Grail absorbed some of it and it has simply taken this long for it to become usable. In response to that, the Grail decided to summon seven Sabers from seven different realities, possibly thinking that it would make things more interesting."

"...Really?"

"As if I know. All of this is conjecture."

"...Whatever! You clearly only have guesses, so I'm done here!" Rin turned around and headed for the door.

"Leaving your friend behind?"

"We're not friends! Besides, he wants to talk to you about something that has nothing to do with me." With that, Rin exited the Church, leaving Shirou and Kirei alone.

"What is it that you want, exactly? I may be a man of the Catholic Church, but I don't enjoy spending extended amounts of time with young boys, if that's what you're after."

"...Not at all what I was thinking about," Shirou said. "Sorry about before. I was thinking about a lot of stuff, and I didn't want to get distracted while doing so."

"I'm assuming your thoughts are now clear. What is your query, Shirou Emiya?"

"..." Shirou stood up and stepped closer to Kirei. "I want you to tell me about my father."

* * *

The dog was fierce. Violent. Bloodthirsty. She tore into the puppet like she would the flesh of a human because she knew that success here would allow her to kill the real thing. Her sisters thought the same, so they did the same. All of them attacked their puppets without mercy.

"Okay, bitches, that's enough." Only their master's voice got them to stop. "You really tore into them. Good job, girls. You probably want to completely destroy them, but…" Her red eyes narrowed towards the puppets. She traced a Rune in front of each puppet. It was Sowilo, the Rune of fire.

"...I, and I alone, get to finish the job like this." The puppets burned. The dogs howled. The woman smiled. The smile conveyed joy. It conveyed madness. Most of all, though, it contained sadness. A sadness that only the death of another could vanquish.

All of this, of course, was fine with the knight adorned in silver and red. The two people actually got along well. The knight appreciated her brutal nature greatly. The woman… well, what satisfied her the most was that the knight was killed by a woman.

* * *

**Class**: Saber(Saber Alternative)

**Master**: ?

**True Name**: ?

**Sex**: Female

**Height/Weight**: 154cm./42kg.

**Alignment**: Neutral Evil

**Strength**: A

**Endurance**: A

**Speed**: C++

**Magical Power**: EX

**Luck**: B+

**Noble Phantasm**: A++

**Magic Resistance**: B

Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals_, it is difficult for her to be affected.

**Riding**: B

Most vehicles can be handled with above average skill. However, cannot ride the likes of _Phantasm Races_ such as _Monstrous Beasts_.

**Instinct**: A

The power to "feel" the most favorable developments for oneself during battle.

Refined sixth sense is now close to true precognition. Bonus effect of reducing by half the penalties caused by obstructed vision and hearing.

**Prana Burst**: EX

The increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of prana.

Saber Alternative has taken Prana Burst to a seemingly inconceivable level. Her black prana covers her body like a dense fog and can be molded into various forms for offense and defense. In addition, by covering her entire body in it, she can create an artificial Presence Concealment, though it will almost always fail if used to block a Servant's detection twice in a row.

**Charisma**: A+

Natural talent to command an army. It increases the ability of one's army during mass combat. For Saber Alternative, it is no longer popularity, but rather a kind of spell _(curse)_ in itself.


	3. The Different Wars: Alter 0

**And now, this omake!**

* * *

_Atop the hill, outside of the Church, light collided with fire. Gold clashed with red. Sword swung against spear. This was the final battle of the third Holy Grail War._

_During the War, the Nazis and the Imperial Army tried to steal the Holy Grail for themselves. The resulting conflict nearly destroyed the Lesser Grail, but that was thankfully avoided. As such, the Masters and Servants returned to their fight until the current situation of only two pairs left emerged._

"_That's it, Saber! Push him back!" This woman, dressed in blue with golden curls, was Nuori Edelfelt. She and her sister, Vanha Edelfelt, both competed as Masters, but Vanha was eliminated several days ago, something that made Nuori feel incredibly smug._

"_Aaaaaaaaah!" With a fierce battle cry, the Knight of the Sword swung at her opponent's chest, leaving a noticeable cut and knocking him back._

_This Servant, dressed in blue and holding a sword of divine beauty and strength, was Saber, her true identity being the Once and Future King, Arthur(or, rather, Arturia) Pendragon. The shared Magic Crest of the Edelfelt Sisters allowed each of them to summon a Saber, but only this one made it to the end. Admittedly, the King of Knights was glad to be rid of the other Saber, a woman who seemed to be an evil version of herself._

"_What are you doing, Lancer?! The Root is so close I can taste it!" This man, dressed in crimson red with dark-colored hair, was Tokisou Tohsaka, the only other remaining Master, and the fourth head of Tohsaka family. For the first time in over 100 years, one of the Three Families was close to achieving the mission that the Holy Grail War existed for, so there was no way he would simply give it up. "Don't lose now, especially to that Edelfelt bitch!" _

"_..." Tokisou's Servant didn't respond. Words weren't necessary to convey an obvious fact: he was going to win._

_This Servant, wearing a beautifully red cape with hair white as snow, was Lancer, his true identity being the Son of the Sun God, Karna. Tokisou summoned Lancer under the belief that he would be the strongest Servant, and he was… possibly. Under any regular magus, Saber would already be a powerful Servant, but thanks to Nuori's incredible magical prowess, she was a regular monster. The Knight of the Sword could deal heavy damage, despite his protection via Kavacha and Kundala, and she had seen Brahmastra Kundala enough times to not easily get hit by it, anymore. This battle was dragging, each side suffering heavy damage, and it had to end now._

"_...I'll need your assistance, Tokisou." Without another word, the Knight of the Lance charged at Saber with a thrust, his opponent blocking with her sword. With a might swing, Saber pushed Lancer away, but he was expecting that. The entire charge, as it turned out, was just a distraction so Tokisou would have time to cast his spell._

_Tokisou launched a fireball at Saber, but she didn't fear it and cut it in half. That, as well, was a trap. When the fireball split in two, the two halves transformed into spears of flame that skewered Saber's legs and anchored themselves into the ground, trapping the swordswoman where she stood._

"_Saber!" Nuori shouted._

"_Ha!" Tokisou scoffed. "Now I've got you! Those flames will go out in less than a minute thanks to your Magic Resistance, but that's just enough time for you two to die! Finish this, Lancer!"_

"_As you wish, Master." Lancer jumped high into the air, almost as if he was flying. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to fall, his cape spread out behind him and turned into a massive ring of fire._

_"Know the mercy of the King of the Gods. Indra, watch over me with keen interest!" Lancer pointed his weapon at Saber and Nuori, causing fire to gather around it._

"_With this single strike, I shall inflict extinction." There was no doubt in the Edelfelt team's mind. This was another one of Lancer's Noble Phantasms. He had never used it before, so Tokisou must have made him keep it hidden this whole time._

"_Be reduced to cinders, Vasavi Shakti!" The spear's flames converged into a beam of light. Tokisou laughed maniacally. _

_Vasavi Shakti: O Sun, Abide to Death. A spear of light that can kill even gods. This was surely one of the most powerful Noble Phantasms to exist. Now that Lancer had used it, Tokisou was sure to win. He would have won, too, if it weren't for Saber possessing and even greater weapon._

"_I had a feeling Mr. Vampire was hiding something," Nuori said with a smirk. "But so were we. Do it, Saber."_

"_Right!" Saber shouted. A golden shape appeared in front of Saber. Without hesitation, she put her sword into it, vertically, mere seconds before Vasavi Shakti hit it. Then, the spear of light that makes even the gods tremble… flew back at its wielder._

"_What?!" Tokisou and his Servant shouted in unison. Tokisou begged his Servant to move, but it was too late. Vasavi Shakti hit, engulfing the man in a massive explosion. Lancer fell to the ground hard. His face was covered in burns. Blood dyed his body red. His right arm… surprisingly fine, which was more than could be said about his now nonexistent left arm._

"_...So that's it, then," Lancer said in a passive tone._

"_What do you mean, 'that's it'?!" Tokisou shouted. "How the hell did your Noble Phantasm bounce back at you?!" The Son of the Sun God simply pointed at Saber. Tokisou turned towards her, then his mouth fell agape. "Is that…"_

"_Correct," Saber said, now that Tokisou saw the brilliant sheath that covered Excalibur. "This is my third Noble Phantasm, Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia. My sheath provides me with a barrier that transcends all magecraft; not even the Five Magics could break through it, so blocking an attack like that is no problem!"_

"_?!" Tokisou couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had heard about Arthur's magical sheath, but to think that it would be so powerful… To make things worse, Kavacha and Kundala suddenly shattered into red feathers, leaving not a single ounce of protection for their master behind._

_It was over. There was no chance of Tokisou winning, not with Lancer in his current state. Saber knew it, the smug little Nuori knew it, even the Grail knew it, for at that moment, the Vessel appeared before them in the sky, knowing that, very soon, it would finally be complete._

"_Look at that, Saber!" Nuori exclaimed. "The Holy Grail is preemptively coming forth to honor our victory against Mr. Vampire! Ohohohohohoho! Let's not keep it waiting too long, now!"_

"_...Lancer," Saber started, "how do you wish to proceed?"_

"_...I'll fight," Lancer said, pointing his spear at Saber. "You are, without a doubt, the winner of the Holy Grail, but I have my pride. Even if that attack tore my body in two, I would never surrender to you. Now let us continue so you can strike me down properly, King of Knights, Arturia Pendragon!"_

"_Well said. I shall honor your wish and give you a death befitting a man such as yourself. Let this final clash be a glorious one, Son of the Sun God, Karna!" Avalon disappeared as the two warriors ran at one another. They desired to keep fighting, but they knew that the first one to strike would be Saber. That strike would defeat Lancer, and then the Holy Grail would belong to the Edelfelt team. Saber would get a wish of her own and save her country by stopping herself from ruling it. All of that would be obtained in this moment._

"_LANCER!" ...If not for Tokisou, that would all have been true. "By my Command Seal, I order you to destroy the Grail!" Lancer possessed an extremely loyal heart. He didn't see orders as "good" or "bad"; he followed them without question or argument. But this order, the equivalent of his Master spitting on the entire War, made him feel incredibly pissed. All of his anger, though, couldn't stop him from jumping into the air and cutting the golden chalice that was the Lesser Grail in two._

"_...You bastard…" That was the last thing Lancer said before vanishing. Saber, because of her Master's large amount of prana, would stay in the world a bit longer._

"_The Grail… it's destroyed…" Saber couldn't find anything to say that wasn't obvious. "Tokisou Tohsaka! How could you do such a thing?!"_

"_Yeah!" Nuori added. "You've got a lot a nerve, you sore loser!"_

"'_Sore loser'? ...I guess I am," Tokisou admitted. "I'm a sore loser, but so what?! If I can't have the Grail, why should anyone else be allowed its power?! Everyone loses, but I'll be back! I'll be back in 60 years with an even greater Servant, and then… wh-what is that?"_

"_The hell are you talking about, Mr. Vam- ?!" In the sky was a black vortex. Its energy was pure evil. Then, it spat black mud, completely drenching what stood directly underneath: Saber. The mud spread, setting everything it touched ablaze, including Nuori and Tokisou._

"_What have I done…?" Tokisou asked as he watched the young Edelfelt turn to ash. "What have I… GHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

_Saber awoke feeling disoriented. Everything around her was in ruins and smelled of flame; there were even some fires going on in the distance._

"_What happened?" She asked herself. "What… that's right." It all came back to her. The final fight against Lancer. Victory right before her. Tokisou's incredible selfishness. The black mud raining down from the heavens._

That mud must have destroyed the city, _Saber thought to herself. _Most likely… Nuori is dead. _Saber was saddened by this thought. The two of them argued every now and then, but truthfully, Saber did like the younger Edelfelt._

But if she's dead, why am I still here? And… why am I naked? _This was the first thing Saber came to realize upon waking up, thanks to an unwelcome breeze. _I don't understand what's… ? _There was a piece of glass not far from Saber. Her reflection was caught in it, and there was something odd that caught her attention. Wanting to get a closer look, she walked over to the glass and picked it up. That was when her confusion intensified._

_Her eyes, once a regular green, were now a demonic gold. Her hair, still blonde, was now incredibly pale. Worst of all, her treasured ahoge had vanished. Saber was still Saber, but at the same time, she wasn't Saber._

"_What… What on Earth…"_

"_Hehehehehehe…" _

"_?!" Saber heard laughter, but as she turned around, no one was there._

"_Hehehehehehe…"_


	4. White Gold

While Rin and Kirei talked to each other inside the Church, Saber and Saber Lily had an interesting dialogue of their own.

"So, Blue-chan…" Lily started(Saber wasn't sure how she felt about the nickname "Blue-chan"), "were you also the lord of Camelot?"

"..."

"Oh! If you're worried about me telling Rin-sama, I won't; it'll be just between the two of us! Besides, Rin-sama would probably hit me on the head and shout, '_I _wanted to figure it out, you idiot Saber!' Haha, my Master's so funny."

"Right…" This incarnation of Saber seemed to be a strikingly honest individual, so it didn't sound like a lie. Not only that, but if they _were _the same person, albeit different versions, then Rin would already know who she was thanks to this white Saber. "It is as you guessed, Lily."

"I knew it!" Lily said with a bright smile that seemed out of place to Saber. "Kind of funny how we're both so much alike, isn't it?"

"A little, I suppose. Though I have to wonder what happened to make you enjoy that manner of dress."

"What do you mean?"

"What do I- The outfits I've seen you wear have been incredibly feminine! How is that befitting of a king?"

"'King'? Who's a 'king'?"

"?!" Saber did a double take at this. This white-colored duplicate wasn't a king in her history? But she was still the ruler of Britain. That could only mean, even if it was unlikely… "Are you… a _Queen_?"

"_Yes! _It took you long enough to remember who I, well, _we_ are. Arturia Pendragon, the Queen of Knights!"

"'Queen of Knights'? How is that possible? Father needed a male heir, so-"

"Father didn't care about that. Even though I was born a girl, he didn't see why a woman couldn't be a strong leader, so I was raised by my parents and grew up with the qualities of both a proud knight _and _a graceful lady, lest I forget how to act like a person of my gender for that time. It hurt his public appeal a bit, but he always said it was worth it to keep us as a family."

"Really? That's… rather nice." Though Saber didn't resent her father for giving her away and treasured the memories she had of being raised by Sir Ector, there were a few times when she wondered what her life would have been if her birth parents raised her. She didn't long for it, but it was nice to hear that a version of her managed to get that.

"Why is this taking you by surprise, Blue-chan? Unless… were you raised as a male?!"

"I was." The situation where one looked at the other like she was crazy had been flipped around.

"But your face and body!"

"I just began puberty, so a less than manly appearance wouldn't be too absurd."

"The dress?"

"...It is a gender neutral battle uniform." Lily giggled at this, annoying Saber a bit.

"Alright, then how were your people okay with your homosexual relationship?"

"...I'm sorry, what? Shouldn't I be asking you that? If you were a Queen as you say, that's what your marriage to Guinevere would have been."

"Huh?! You were married to Guinny, not Lancelot?"

"It was a political marriage and what?! Lancelot? The Knight of the Lake? He was your… husband?"

"Yes… Yes, he was…" Lily donned a dour expression that made Saber's heart sink, a little. If what happened between Lily and her Lancelot was at all similar to her experience, it was clearly a touchy subject that she wouldn't want to talk about.

"Stupid Kotomine!" Thankfully, Rin's reappearance made it so she wouldn't have.

"Rin-sama!" Lily smiled at the sight of her Master as if she wasn't even upset, before.

"Hey. So what were you two doing to keep busy?"

"Just Servant stuff."

"...I have no idea what's supposed to mean, and I don't care." Rin then turned her head towards Saber. "I have a proposition for you and your Master."

* * *

"Let me see if I can guess what happened," Kirei said. "You had an encounter with one of the Sabers who had some sort of interaction with your father in a parallel timeline, assuming that theory is correct. After learning that your last name was 'Emiya', she surmised that you were Kiritsugu's son and didn't even attempt to hide it. Later, while talking to Rin, you brought it up in confusion, and she told you what she knew as if you were an idiot for not already knowing." It was like Kirei was right there when it happened.

"Look, Kotomine," Shirou started, "I just found out that I didn't even really know my father after five years of him raising me. Tohsaka said that you knew him from the last War, so I want to know what you know about him."

"Ah, a lost child looking to uncover the secrets of his family's past. A tad overdone, but it still works, to a degree."

"..." Shirou was starting to get how this guy was able to so easily anger Rin.

"Very well, Shirou Emiya. I will tell you what I know about your father.

"Emiya Kiritsugu is often viewed as a machine, but I don't see him as that so much as I see him as a man who cast off his emotions. Because of this, he was able to become a cold, merciless killer who would willingly sacrifice others to meet his objectives. The fact that learning just a fraction about the real him left you in a state of silence tells me that if he was a Master in this War, you would hate him more than anyone else."

"Yeah, maybe. I couldn't imagine myself liking a guy who would so easily kill others."

"There's that, but the hatred, to me, would come from realizing that his true objective is world peace."

"?" Shirou shot Kirei a quizzical look. "'World peace'?"

"Correct. Hard to imagine that a man like him would have such an innocent desire, but he did. He killed others so that no one could stop him from getting his wish. He killed to create a world without bloodshed; quite the contradiction, isn't it?"

"_He killed to create a world without bloodshed." _The words repeated themselves a few times in Shirou's mind, each time restoring his father's image a bit more. Yes, his father was still a killer, he couldn't be okay with that, but if world peace was his end goal, then he couldn't help but maintain some respect for him.

"Yes, it was this contradiction that defined Kiritsugu as a person and was the reason I hated him."

"You hated him? I figured you guys would've gotten along."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I'm… not sure…"

"Next time, try thinking a little more before saying things, okay?"

"..." Shirou also began to admire Rin a little more. She and Kirei seemed to have a personal connection, so being able to deal with someone like him was definitely an impressive feat.

"Kiritsugu's ideals filled me with nothing but scorn. For him to spend his life killing others and only want world peace, of all things… I didn't understand how such a person could exist, and I still don't. Obviously, your father gained a similar hatred towards me, which is why the first and only time we saw each other, our first instinct was to take the other person's life."

"I'm guessing neither of you succeeded."

"It would appear that way, yes.

"Back to the man in question, Kiritsugu's wish was an impossible one that couldn't be realized through normal means, and it was for this reason, perhaps, that he was chosen to be a Master. Under the employment of the Einzberns, one of the family of magi who started the ritual, Kiritsugu used underhanded tactics to defeat his opponents until five of seven Servants were dead. At this point, the Holy Grail had already appeared and was able to grant his wish… and it was here that his ideals betrayed him."

"What do you mean?"

"As I mentioned before, Kiritsugu was always ready to make sacrifices for the eventual reaching of his goal. His final sacrifice ended up being the Grail. I don't know how he came to such a conclusion, but Kiritsugu reasoned that the existence of the Grail would only serve to cause harm, so even if he could get his wish from it, the world would be better off if it was destroyed. Therefore, despite victory being in his grasp, Kiritsugu cast the Grail aside and forced his Servant to destroy it."

"Really?!" Shirou could definitely understand that. One of the things Rin mentioned on the walk over was that Servants would often attack people and drain them of their lifeforce to power themselves up. Combine that with the overall destructive power of a Heroic Spirit and there's nothing about the Holy Grail War that's safe for the people of Fuyuki. Not only that, but now it made sense that Saber would feel the way she did about his father; it _would _be hard to like someone who forced you to give up on your wish.

"Indeed. He destroyed the Grail to ensure that no one else would be harmed because of it… yet, ironically, that action cause a great deal of harm."

"Huh?"

"The Holy Grail functions by absorbing mana from the Fuyuki leylines and the prana of each deceased Servant, so by the time it is able to activate, it has accumulated a large amount of energy. When Kiritsugu had the Grail destroyed, though, that energy didn't simply vanish; it was released onto the world in a rather… destructive manner.."

"What are you…?! You mean-"

"Yes. The great fire ten of ten years ago that claimed hundreds of lives happened because of Kiritsugu's blasphemous act."

"!" Of all the surprises tonight, this was probably the biggest. The fire that claimed so many lives, none of which Shirou was able to save, was his father's fault? Even if he didn't mean for it, he was still responsible for the death of hundreds, and unlike before, there was nothing good to justify it. The fact that Shirou was saved by him didn't even count. The fact that Shirou was saved by him…

"Now I get it."

"Get what?"

"When my dad found me amidst all the chaos, he said that from saving me, he saved himself. I never really understood what he meant, but now I do: by saving me, by saving just one person, he proved to himself that he wasn't a monster because of what he did."

"But even if he saved you, many others still died. I imagine that when Kiritsugu died, he died a tired man, filled with regret."

"That's not true! He might have made some mistakes, but the look on his face when he died showed that he was finally at peace! He was at peace because he knew things would be alright… because _I _would become the hero he couldn't!"

"Hmph. So you've inherited Kiritsugu's ideals, have you? I should have guessed as much. In that case, this is the beginning of a terrible relationship between the two of us."

"Likewise." Shirou, no more doubts in his mind, exited the Church.

"...I forget to tell him to rejoice. Next time, Kirei. Next time."

* * *

The heads of the three women turned as they heard the Church doors open, allowing them to confirm that Shirou had finally come out.

"Shirou, are you… feeling better?" Saber asked as her Master walked over.

"Yeah, I think so," Shirou said. "Sorry for worrying you three."

"What? You think _I _was worried about _you_?" Rin asked. "As if! There wasn't any reason to be upset about anything, so I was just helping you figure that out. No need to thank me, Emiya-kun."

"Hey-"

"Rin-sama!" Lily interjected before Shirou could offer a retort. "You shouldn't be mean to Emiya-kun."

"I agree."

"I'll act however I want, Lily." Rin said in a haughty tone.

"But how are we supposed to work together if you act like that so much?" Lily asked.

"! Y-You idiot! I hadn't _told _him we were doing that, yet!" Rin then proceeded to pull on Lily's ponytail.

"Owowowowowowowow!"

"Hey, stop it, Tohsaka!" Shirou shouted, the girl actually stopping. _Wow, I can't believe that worked. _"Now what did Lily mean about us working together? To be honest, I was planning to ask for that, but you don't really seem like the kind of person who'd agree?"

"And yet you were still going to ask me? Even though I'd shoot you down? Are you a masochist, or something?" Rin asked with a smirk.

"N-No! I'm not into that kind of stuff!"

"So what kind of stuff _are _you into?" Shirou and Lily started to feel flustered while Saber maintained a stoic expression.

"Just get back to the 'working together' thing, already! Please!"

"Fine. First of all, it's not us 'working together' so much as it you and Saber 'doing whatever I ask of you'; in a sense, I now have three Servants."

"The hell you do." Shirou muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Rin asked with a scowl.

"Nothing, just get to why this is happening."

"Alright. The reason I decided on this is because this the best chance I have of winning…" Shirou thought he heard Rin mumble something about him, but that couldn't be true. "Look at your Servant's stats."

"'Stats'?"

"...Oh, I guess I didn't explain that on the walk over. Each Servant has varying stats for things like attack and defense that determine how powerful they are. It's like a, um… whatchamacallit… a video game!"

_Did a person my own age just refer to a video game as a "whatchamacallit"? _While Shirou pondered this, Saber suddenly walked over to him and placed a finger on his forehead. "H-Hey!"

"Relax, Shirou," she said. "This is simply to help you do it on your own." Saber removed her finger after a few seconds. When she did, a small rectangle appeared in front of Shirou's eyes. In the right corner was Saber's face, next to that was her class, his name, a blank spot for her true name(he'd ask about that, later), gender, height/weight, and character alignment(it really _was _like a game), and below that were the aforementioned character stats: Strength, Endurance, Speed, Magical Power, Luck, and Noble Phantasm, which from what he remembered from Rin was a Servant's strongest attack. Below even that were what were referred to as "Class Abilities", and by moving his finger across the screen, Shirou could "turn the page" and look at Saber's various skills.

"So are these stats, y'know, _good_?"

"They're not bad, but normally, as a Saber, they _would _be higher if I was summoned by a… well…"

"No need to spare my feelings, Saber. I already know I'm a lousy magus," Shirou said with a hollow chuckle. "Are Lily's stats here, too?"

"Not until I fight her or see her fight."

"But since we're working together-"

"I'm not just gonna have Lily spar with your Servant, if that's what you're about to ask." Rin interjected, taking the words right out of Shirou's mouth. "This is just a _temporary _alliance! As soon as its purpose is gone, we're fighting each other, got it? Now scroll over to Saber Alternative, already!"

"Okay, okay!" It appeared that the black Saber was of prime importance. That mysterious Servant who offered no kindness and reeked of chaos… the same chaos that filled the city's air ten years ago.

Why was that, exactly? Why did looking at Saber Alternative make Shirou think of that fire? Did she have some sort of connection to it? Now that Shirou thought about it, it was kind of weird that the Holy Grail, a holy object, would be a part of such wanton destruction. Perhaps there was something going on that even the priest wasn't aware of.

"Hurry up!" Rin's nagging of him, though, forced Shirou to put these thoughts aside for the moment and look at Saber Alternative's stats. When he did, he felt like having a heart attack. "Wow…"

"I know! How can she be that powerful?! Even if Saber's the best Class, that's downright cheating! I can't believe it!

"...Anyway, I hate to admit it, but Saber Alternative is too powerful for either of us to beat on our own; if one of us tries to have a serious fight against her, we're going to lose. So until she's beaten, it only makes practical sense for you two to help me."

"Well when you put it like that, there's nothing to object to, really."

"I thought as much."

"...Thanks for helping me out so much, Tohsaka. You know, you're actually a pretty nice person." Shirou said this with a smile.

"! W-When did I ask what you thought of me! Don't just say random stuff like that!" Another abrupt shift in attitude out of the way, Rin started walking down the hill. "Are you three coming?!" Wordlessly, Shirou and the twin Sabers followed her.

* * *

In the Fuyuki City Church lies a bedroom that only a very small number of people know about. Sitting at a table were two people not of this world. One of them, dressed in gothic lolita that only accentuated her paleness, was the woman who had made an enemy of both Shirou and Rin tonight: Saber Alternative. The person who sat across from her was a blonde man dressed in a white shirt, black jacket and black pants who gave off an air that made him seem even haughtier than the black Saber.

"Remind me again of your encounter with my woman, Blackened Tyrant," the man said, refilling their glasses of wine.

"She's everything you said she was," Saber Alternative said. "Strong, proud, brave; everything a knight must be, and so much more. I can see why you've marked her as your own."

"I never did something like that. I simply reminded her that she belongs to me, something that should have been realized by her the moment we first crossed eyes."

"Aren't _you _the romantic?" Saber Alternative asked with a chuckle.

"If it weren't for who you are, and the current circumstances, I would strike you for such a remark."

"Sorry, sorry. No need to get upset."

"Please. If I was upset, you wouldn't even have time to figure it out. I'd have torn your body to shreds at a speed that wouldn't allow the thought to form before you faded into oblivion."

"...Yes." The black Saber smiled as she sipped her wine. "It's moments like these that make me love you so much more than that _other _Gilgamesh."

"I bet so," Gilgamesh said with a laugh. "I can't believe he actually bothered to fight his opponents up close with those twin blades. Like some common mongrel! To think he called himself the King of Heroes!"

"And a truly magnificent King you are!" Saber downed the rest of her drink and threw her glass to the ground, causing it to shatter. "Now, then, I'm feeling a bit winded from tonight's events. Would you care to assist me in a… mana transfer ritual?"

"...I'm actually not in the mood, right now."

"But I need to recharge." The dark Servant started undoing her dress.

"If that's the case, we still have plenty of orphans for you to-" Gilgamesh was cut off by a now half naked Saber Alternative giving him a deep kiss, a trail of saliva emerging when their lips separated. Gilgamesh's clothes weren't on for long after that.

Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, had had his way with countless women in more ways than one, but this was the first case of him being hesitant to do the deed, especially since the woman was actually giving consent. It's not that the sex was bad, it was magnificent, but Saber Alternative was an unexpectedly ferocious lover who always took charge, despite the fact that that was _his _job. Honestly, how could such a small girl be that powerful a seme?

* * *

"Did you enjoy what you saw?" Kirei was clearly talking to someone, yet no one could be seen.

"My enjoyment is irrelevant. What matters is that he caught my attention." Perhaps he was hiding in the shadows, making it hard to see him. "What about you? Did you not feel anything, Kirei?"

"No, I'm not a person who 'feels'. I know we just met, but I had assumed you already figured that out."

"..."

"Regardless, at the end of the War, there will be nothing left of this world, so if you and your black Saber feel like doing anything with him, go ahead."

"I don't recall asking for your permission."

"Well, now you have it."

"Fantastic. Now I'm finally fulfilled."

"Good to hear."

"...Now, then, what is our third accomplice up to, right now?"

"I believe that one got a bit hasty and decided to go after the Vessel. Let's see how that plays out."

* * *

"Mrmmmmm…" A little white-haired girl tapped her foot in frustration before slamming it down against cold street. "Where is he?! He should have been here by now! What's keeping Onii-chan, anyway?!" This wasn't asked to anyone, in particular, but the one listening was a green-eyed blonde man dressed in a red shirt and black jacket and pants.

"Hey, Illya," the man started, "since we have this spare time, can we talk about your 'master plan'?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you used your familiars to see that he went to the Church, so now we're waiting for him to come back home so you can kill him, right?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"What if he doesn't come home?"

"Huh?"

"I'm just saying that's it's a possibility. Like, what if he remembers that thing you said to him the other day, figures out that you're a Master, and doesn't come home because he suspects some sort of trap from you?"

"!" Illya hadn't considered that, mainly because Shirou didn't look smart enough to think ahead to that degree.

"Or being even more logical about it, your 'Onii-chan' is alone with three super hot chicks! Two of them are basically twins, so that's kinda like five, actually. If I were him, I wouldn't be going home for a while."

"Just what kind of point are you trying to make, you pervert?!"

"The point is that we don't know when he's actually going to come home, so with your plan, we're just standing out here in the cold, all night!"

"Yeah, well… too bad! You're _my _Servant, so do as I command, Saber!"

"Very well, Master. I shall do as you command… and stand out here all night in the cold."

"I hope you freeze!" Illya crossed her arms and pouted positively adorably.

"Don't you hate it when they don't listen?"

"You bet! This is why I wanted a Berserker! A mindless war machine would never be able… to talk… back…" It just occurred to Illya and her Saber that she was talking to someone new.

"Up here." The voice came from Illya's right. Turning in that direction, the two of them saw something surprising on a rooftop. It was a little girl wearing an outfit identical to Illya's, but dark yellow. Part of her lavender hair was in a bun, and ignoring the dark skin and orange eyes, this girl seemed to look exactly like Illya.

"Hey there, Illyasviel von Einzbern." The mystery girl jumped down from the rooftop and landed on her feet with perfect grace.

_This is… weird, _Illya's Saber thought to himself.

"I don't… how are you… what…"

"Do you wanna actually ask a question?"

"I _do_, actually! Who are you?! What are you here for?!"

"That's better. For the first one, you can just call me 'Kuro', though you probably asked 'who am I' in reference to my appearance; not gonna tell you that, though. As for what I'm here for, well…" Kuro, as she was called, stuck her hand into her coat and quickly pulled it out, revealing that she was now holding a gun, sideways, "I'm going to kill you, now."

"Wha-" Bang.


	5. The Maid and her Dark Lord

"...I'll be honest, here. I didn't plan for this." Kuro didn't have a lot of combat experience, but as far as she knew, if you fired a gun at someone's head, they would die, especially if you hold the gun sideways. So it was quite surprising to see that Illya was still alive.

"Owowowowowowow~!" Illya cried as she rubbed her forehead. "That really hurt, you know! You could kill someone like that!"

_That was the plan._

"And you!" Illya pointed at her Servant. "Why didn't you do anything?!"

"I knew you'd be smart enough to protect yourself," Saber said.

"What if I wasn't, though?!"

"Then I would have prayed that God would find a place in Heaven for my foolish Master."

"Hey!"

"Hello~?" Kuro called out. "Are you two done yet, 'cause I still have some bullets, here."

"I'm sure you do," Saber said. "We'll get to you, but first, call out your Servant."

"Hm?"

"I don't believe that you're just some kid out to get Illya; you're obviously a Master in this War."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a normal little girl roaming the streets for a good time in the dead of night that happens to like shooting people."

"..."

"Not buying it, eh? Thought so. Come on out, Sabre!"

"_Saber"? Just like the black one and the samurai? _Before she could think about it further, a figure appeared out of thin air, though this was simply the Servant leaving spiritual form. The Servant in question was a purple-eyed blonde woman in a skin-tight armored dress and a sword at her left side.

"Good evening, Maître Einzbern and her Servant," Sabre said with a small curtsey. "I humbly request that you honor us with battle, tonight."

"'Battle', you say?" Saber repeated. "If you ask me, miss…" Mr. Saber ran in front of Sabre and took her hand in his, "I could honor you in many, _many _better ways." He then gave a smile so bright that it looked like his teeth were sparkling.

"..." After a brief pause, Sabre's face went red, she kicked Mr. Saber in the shin, and threw to the other side of the street. "Maître Kuro! I'm going to defeat that man now!"

"Yeah, whatever," Kuro said with a tone of indifference. She then ran off in Mr. Saber's direction.

"That idiot…" Illya grumbled. "Flirting with regular girls is one thing, but the Servants, too? Didn't you learn anything from the black one? I mean, really-"

"Fire!" Kuro interrupted her by firing another bullet.

"Shape, ist Leben!" Before the bullet reached her, though, a neon wire flew out of Illya's sleeve and formed a giant hand that caught the bullet and threw it away.

"...So that's a thing."

* * *

"...I'd still like an answer, Miss," Mr. Saber said as he stood up.

"No! The answer is no!" Sabre shouted, still feeling embarrassed.

"Why do look so flustered? I'm sure a pretty girl like you would be used to guys hitting on her. They probably weren't as handsome as me, though."

"Th-That's not true! I don't know anything about flirting, or boys, or those types of things…"

"...Are you a virgin?"

"! Sh… Shut up!" In a basic admittance to Mr. Saber's claim, Sabre drew her sword and slashed at her opponent. Right before the sword connected, though, Mr. Saber's outfit turned into white armor, giving him enough defense to stand his ground.

"Alright, I can take a hint. Time to get serious." Mr. Saber held out his hands like he was holding something only for an invisible object shaped by wind to appear between them. Some might be confused as to what it was, exactly, but Sabre could tell that it was a sword. When this just finished registering, he dashed over with a swing of his invisible blade, Sabre barely having time to block.

_His sword… it's heavy! What strength! To think he would be this powerful! _Mr. Saber swung again, but Sabre was able to dodge that time. Obviously, being on the defensive wouldn't end well, so Sabre took this chance to make her offensive. She thrusted out her sword to her opponent, his body moving jumping to the right in avoidance, but that was planned and she swung right at him.

"Not this time!" Mr. Saber was also prepared as he blocked with his invisible blade, though the force of their colliding weapons did knock them both back.

"Not bad, not bad."

"Same to you."

"I'd hope so. I'd like to give you a better fight than the guys in Orleans gave you."

"!" Sabre's eyes widened in shock when he said this. For a Servant to say something like that to another… it could only mean… "You've figured out my identity? How?"

"When you said 'Maître', I knew you were a French hero. My thoughts immediately went to 'that one', but history isn't as exact as some might think. However, after I brought up _that_-"

"..." Sabre went red again as she remembered _that_.

"I knew that it had to be right. Now that I've come to such conclusions, you won't dishonor me by claiming them to false, will you?"

"...Even if I did, Maître would probably reveal who I am just to gloat about how powerful a Servant she has."

"Yeah, my Master's that kind of person, too. She's probably done it, already, so let's just both do it."

"Very well. Just as you deduced, my true identity is the Maid of Orleans and the Holy Virgin, Jeanne d'Arc!"

"As for myself! I am the most fabulous King to ever be born! The King of Knights, Arthur Pendragon!" The two Knights dashed at one another, continuing their great battle.

* * *

**Moments earlier**

"So you know alchemy, eh?" Kuro asked, Illya not responding. "That explains how you survived that first shot; you formed a sort of netting around your forehead that acted like a bullet-proof vest. Very tricky… but nothing I can't handle." Kuro fired several more shots at Illya, but the wire hand deflected all of them.

"Is that all you can do, Kuro?!" Illya shouted as she sent the giant fist flying at Kuro, though she was able to dodge the attack.

_Tch! If this won't work, then I've gotta step it up a notch! _Kuro then did something that left Illya speechless: she opened her mouth extremely wide, shoved her gun into it, and swallowed it whole.

_What the hell?! _Kuro then reached back into her yellow coat and pulled out a second gun, immediately firing it at Illya. She wasn't worried about it, given how easy the bullets had been to block, so far, so she simply brought the hand back over to her and set it up to defend. As such, it came as a shock to Illya when the bullet tore through it and pierced her arm.

"...!" Illya clutched her arm and nearly fell over.

"Hah! Gotcha! How do you like me, know?!"

"Gh…" _That second gun… it must use stronger bullets than the first one. I'm going to have to put more prana into my defense… _Illya started using her wire to sew up the gunshot wound, but Kuro attacked again before she was even half done. However, despite being backed into a corner, Illya managed to shield herself with a wall of wire powered by much more prana than before.

"Okay, then…" Kuro swallowed her second gun, "I'll get up close!" With that said, Kuro charged straight at Illya. Illya sent a bird made of wire at Kuro, but she, amazingly, did a front flip and used it as a kickboard to launch herself at Illya even faster.

_This girl is crazy! Crazy… and stupid. _"Binden!" Before Kuro could get too close, Illya's bird unraveled itself and entangled Kuro, causing her to fall while trapped in Illya's intricate webbing, complete with a makeshift bow.

"Well, it looks like I showed you. You shouldn't have messed with someone who has King Arthur as her Servant. Now you're gonna tell me everything I want to know either willingly… or by force. I do hope that you choose the later." Illya's smile made this comment all the more disturbing.

"Sounds good to me. In fact… it sounds like a blast!" Something shot out of Kuro's mouth that hit Illya in the face. As she stepped back in recoil, Kuro mustered up all her strength to break out of the wire and get up.

"What the hell is your-?!" Illya's jaw dropped when she saw what had hit her. "A grenade?!" Sure enough, there was a grenade attached to Illya's scarf. Not wasting any time to protect herself, she took it off and threw it away.

"Mo~ron. That wasn't the only grenade I brought out!"

"? …!" Kuro wasn't lying. There was a second grenade lying at Illya's feet, and there was a string connecting its ring to the now flying grenade.

"By the way, you shouldn't underestimate someone with Jeanne d'Arc as her Servant." The ring came off.

* * *

Sabre and Mr. Saber's fight had been going on for several minutes, and it had become apparent that the two of them were quite evenly matched. While Sabre had the superior speed, Mr. Saber's incredible strength was able to balance things out between the two of them. If either one wanted to win this fight, it would come down to their Noble Phantasms.

_Even if that's true, this battle doesn't meet half of the Restraints' conditions; I can't unleash my sword, _Mr. Saber told himself. _That being said, how will I-?! _Without warning, an explosion sounded off in the distance. _What was that?! Is Illya alright?!_

"You're not losing focus here, are you, Mr. Saber?!" Sabre shouted as she charged at her opponent. The man in question, though, blocked with his sword much more flawlessly than he had before in the entire fight.

"Sorry to do this. Honestly, I'm not really the kind of guy who spends the night with a girl and just takes off, afterwards."

"'Spends the night with a"..." The Holy Virgin's face went red again. "Are you still saying things like that?!"

"Not the point!" Mr. Saber kicked Sabre in the stomach to knock her back a bit. Before she could regain her bearings, he pointed his invisible sword at her.

"Strike Air!" Mr. Saber's sword was stripped of its veil of wind, revealing its true form of being a silver blade adorned with a golden cross, blue wings, and golden rhombuses. The wind no longer covered it, but it didn't simply vanish. Rather, it was fired at Sabre as a blast of super pressurized air strong enough to blow away an army, and Sabre was no exception when the attack hit her. Confident that his opponent was downed, at least for the moment, Mr. Saber ran to aid his Master.

* * *

Right now, Illya was extremely thankful for all of the training Arthur forced onto her. At first, it just seemed annoying, but the Einzbern's Thaumaturgy really did come in handy. Like now, for instance. Because of that magecraft, Illya was able to wrap her body in wire as a means of defense against the blast. It wasn't fully formed due to the suddenness of the attack, but the damage was minimized.

"Well, well, well…" Kuro said as the dust cleared. "Aren't _you _the clever one…?"

"One of us... has to be..." Illya said with staggered breath.

"Hey, that was a clever trick I pulled off!"

"Would've been better _if you didn't get caught in the explosion, too!_"

"..." Kuro couldn't argue with that. She wasn't as fast as she thought, so she was also hit by the blast; her injuries seemed to be slowly healing on their own, but that was besides the point.

"You're right, you're right. But I'm also right; my trick was very clever."

"I don't care, you freak!"

"A freak, am I? You're just making me want to do this more! …?" Kuro thought she heard something in the distance.

"Illya!" Then, she heard something closer: Mr. Saber's voice as he ran to his Master's side. "I heard an explosion; what happened?"

"She spat a grenade at me, _that's_ what happened!"

"'Spat'? What do you- where are _you _going?" Mr. Saber asked this as Kuro started walking away from them.

"You might not hear it, but I can hear police sirens. Our little tussle must've scared the neighborhood, so we gotta end the fight here."

"..." Illya hated to admit it, but Kuro had a point. "Alright, fine, it's a draw. But I'm not forgetting this, Kuro! Next time we meet, I _will _get answers out of you!"

"Heh! Go ahead and try! ...But first, a little something to make sure you'll remember me." Kuro ran at Illya with incredible speed, getting up to her in an instant. Then, before Illya could use her wire or Mr. Saber could use his sword, Kuro did something incredibly shocking to Illya: she kissed her.

"!" Not on the cheek or the forehead or anything like that. It was directly on the lips and held there for quite a while. Mr. Saber could have done something about it, but… he didn't feel like doing something about it.

"Ah~," Kuro said as she separated her mouth from Illya's. "I enjoyed that. Thank you~!" After that, Kuro jumped over Illya and ran away from the scene.

"...Well… that happened…" Mr. Saber said. "Come on, Illya; we better move." Mr. Saber waited for a response, but his Master just stood there as if she was giving a big speech and suddenly fell victim to stage fright. "Oh for the love of…" Patience running thin, Mr. Saber hoisted Illya over his shoulder and took off.

* * *

When Shirou started heading home, the last thing he expected to see was a bunch of cops and police tape sealing off the area. After talking to one of the officers, Shirou, Rin, and the two Sabers learned that there were calls about gunfire and some sort of explosion, earlier, possibly from yakuza groups fighting in the area. Shirou hoped that Taiga wasn't involved in this, and Rin helped convince him that she wasn't by saying,

"There was obviously a battle between Servants going on, here," Rin said. Given what had happened in the last few hours, Shirou found this a lot more believable than yakuza fighting one another. "But still, guns and bombs? What kind of Masters are in this War?"

"Forget about that, Tohsaka. Why were people in this War over here?" Shirou asked.

"Well, we're right by your house, so someone must've been waiting for you to come home before getting ambushed by someone with the same idea. They probably planned on taking advantage of your lack of skills to score an easy win."

"Well now I feel even better. …?" Shirou saw something on the ground a few meters away from him that seemed familiar. He walked over to it, picked it up, and his heart sank. "This scarf…"

"What about it?" Saber asked.

"A little girl I met the other day was wearing it. Now it's just on the ground… covered in blood…"

"She's probably dead, then," Tohsaka said without emotion. "Remember what happened with Saber Alternative? We can't have witnesses to the War. From what the police said, only gunfire and explosions were reported, so that's fine, but if a little girl just wanders in and sees things she shouldn't, then there's no choice but to kill her."

"...What the hell… How can you talk about something like that so easily?!"

"Because this is War. In War, people die, but getting upset about every single death will just slow you down."

"You…!"

"...But I'd still like it if no one innocent got hurt. I'm going to win the Holy Grail War, but i'm going to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. What about you, Emiya-kun?"

"..." Shirou finally thought about all the people in his life that could get killed because of this War. Taiga, Sakura, Issei, Ayako, his bosses at Copenhagen... hell, even Shinji's death would make him sad, and now that he's met Saber and Saber Lily and gotten a bit closer to Rin, he didn't want them to die, either, like that little girl whose name he didn't even learn.

"Me, too. I won't let anyone die!"

_? He won't let _anyone _die? I'm hoping that Saber Alternative is an exception, but _some _people are going to end up dead! ...Well, we can talk about that later. _"Okay, if we're done here, then we should both go to bed, already."

"Yeah… about that…"

"..."

"See, the cops aren't going to let Saber and me through while they're investigating, so..."

"So…"

"Can we… stay at your house?"

"What?!" Saber Lily gave her Master a thumbs up for this. Rin's response was flicking her in the forehead.

"Please?! Just so we have a place to sleep, tonight! I promise I won't try anything funny!"

"You just want to dig yourself deeper, eh?!"

"? Wait, what was wrong with saying I _wouldn't _try anything?"

"N-Nothing!" Rin turned away with a huff and started walking. "Saber can have the couch, but you're getting the floor!"

"Thank you!"

"And you're cooking breakfast as a substitute for rent!"

"Can do!"

"Can you really, Shirou?" Saber asked.

"Yeah, I'm a great cook."

"Are you truly?"

"...Yeah." Now it was starting to get weird.

"I'll be counting on you for this."

"O...kay…?"

* * *

"_Deep inside your chest, the whisper of a vanishing wish awakens your SILENT HEART._

_Gentle memories blow through the star of life, the feelings of your MOVING SOUL run to the world._

_Like a warm wind, I'll embrace your words when you look at a sad sky._

_When our hearts (connect) as one, you'll be (strong) and have the courage to live in the future."_

"_I'll bring you out."_

"..." Kuro stopped singing her song. "This is more of a solo piece, Sabre."

"..." Sabre appeared at her Master's side with a frown, her outfit showing signs of damage. "Sorry, Kuro."

"Just don't do it again."

"..."

"So, did Illya's Servant give you trouble?"

"To a certain extent. I was faster than him, but he's physically stronger than me. He also has some sort of wind-based attack. It was very powerful, but thanks to Revelations, I was able avoid taking heavy damage."

"You should have found a way to avoid _all _the damage."

"...Sorry. I'll try harder next time."

"You better!" Kuro started running further ahead.

"What should we tell 'him'?" Kuro stopped dead in her tracks.

"...Right… 'He'll' be mad, won't 'he'? I said I was going to kill Illya, tonight, but I couldn't do that…" Kuro was shaking and spilling cold sweat. The girl was definitely of what "that man" would do to her.

"Kuro…" Sabre walked over to the girl and hugged her from behind. "I won't let 'him' hurt you."

"...I didn't… I didn't ask you…" Kuro spoke like Sabre's presence was bothersome. Even still, she took the embrace like it was the only thing that would keep her alive.


	6. The Different Wars: Lily 0

_It was a cold, snowy night. The conditions were far from being suited to star-gazing, yet one sickly man decided to do it, anyway, all the while bearing a melancholic expression._

"_What are you doing out here, Kiritsugu?" A woman asked as she, too, stepped out on the balcony._

"_Nothing really, Iri," the man, Kiritsugu, responded._

"_If you're doing nothing, then you should go to bed. The doctor said you need to rest, remember?"_

"_I'm fine, Iri. Relax."_

"_...How can I relax?" Iri, full name Irisviel, said this under her breath. Realizing that she couldn't get him inside, Iri decided to go to her husband's side and gaze at the sky with him._

"_Iri…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_You remember how I told you that I wanted to be a superhero? I've come to realize that I missed my window. It'd be too hard to get called one, now."_

"_The heroes in those stories you've read with me _are _typically younger than you." Iri said this with a chuckle._

"_Yeah, they are."_

"_...You know, Kiritsugu, I'm still pretty young, myself, even if I look like an adult. Do you think I still have a chance at it?"_

"_...Maybe."_

"_And I'm not alone, either. Maiya-san, Illya… the three of us all want your dreams to come true. So, if anything happens to you, you don't need to think that everything you did was a waste, because there are people who want to carry on your will."_

"_...Yeah… I guess there are. That makes it a bit easier…" Kiritsugu smiled as he closed his eyes and put an arm around his wife._

"_Now why don't we head inside, Kiritsugu? It's getting _really _cold, after all." There was no response. "Kiritsugu?" No reaction. "Kiri… tsugu?" No sense of life._

_It was on that night that Kiritsugu Emiya, at the side of his wife, Irisviel von Einzbern, died._

* * *

_Even though Kiritsugu stopped smoking when Illya was born, he had, unfortunately, already developed lung cancer. It would be two years after his daughter's birth that the disease would first be detected within him, but by that point, the doctors could do nothing for him. Though it probably means nothing in the grand scheme of things, the fact that he managed to live for another two years could be seen as a reflection of the man's incredible strength._

_The three females Kiritsugu left behind took his death in different ways. Illya and Maiya cried until no tears would come out; this was the first time anyone in the Einzbern castle ever saw Maiya show genuine emotion. As for Iri, she didn't cry; she did nothing. After Kiritsugu was officially pronounced dead, she simply frowned and locked herself in her room._

_One might view this as a rather cold reaction to a lover's death, but for Iri, it was the only reasonable one. Kiritsugu was the first person to care about her; if it wasn't for him, then she would've lived her entire life seeing herself as what everyone else in the castle saw her as: a disposable tool. Tears aren't enough for losing your reason to live, so with that form of expression gone, Iri acted as if she truly was dead. Sometimes, she even considered forcefully cutting off her supply of prana to end it all._

"_Mama?" Then, she heard a voice. Her daughter's voice._

"_It's me, mama. You've been in there for a long, long time… can you please come out? I… I miss you. I miss seeing you smile, I miss hearing your voice… I want you to come back, mama! I'm lonely without papa! I don't want to lose you, too!" Illya's voice became nothing but desperate cries._

"_..." Iri couldn't do this. It wasn't right. Kiritsugu left a hole that couldn't be filled, but it wasn't right of her to abandon her, no, _their _daughter because of it. And what of Kiritsugu's will. She promised to inherit it if anything happened, but what good would that be if she just stayed in that room until her body rotted away? No, she couldn't do that. She simply couldn't._

"_..." The door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway in front of Illya was her mother, finally allowing herself to cry. "Mama?"_

"_Sorry for leaving like that, Illya. You must think I'm a lousy mother." Illya feverishly shook her head._

"_No! No way! You're a great mama… because you're _my _mama!" Illya hugged her mother's legs as she cried, the woman returning the gesture._

_After two weeks, Irisviel von Einzbern regained her resolve and rejoined the world of the living. At the same time, three Command Seals etched themselves into the back of her hand._

* * *

_**Five years later**_

"_Can something like this really bring forth a Heroic Spirit, Maiya-san?" Iri asked as she placed the catalyst Maiya obtained for her in the middle of the summoning circle._

"_Indeed, it can," Maiya responded. "So long as the object shares a history with the Heroic Spirit, the Spirit will respond to the summoning and come forth."_

"_And this will really summon her? This piece of cloth?"_

"_On the surface, it is just cloth, but it is actually an indestructible ribbon woven with the silk of the spiders that dwell in Oberon's enchanted forest and further magically enhanced with powdered unicorn horns. Such a ribbon was worn by only one person: history's strongest queen…"_

"_The Queen of Knights, Arturia Pendragon," Iri finished. "Yes, it should work."_

"_There's no reason why it shouldn't."_

"_...Maiya-san, I'd like to thank you for all you've done in the last five years. Even though you bore no obligation after Kiritsugu's death, you've helped me not only prepare for the Holy Grail War, but take care of Illya, as well. I can hardly express my true gratitude with mere words. With Kiritsugu gone, you are, without a doubt, my one and only friend."_

"_...Thank you, Madam." Though she didn't say it, as well, Maiya, too, grew to view Iri as her one and only friend._

"_Now, then…" Iri held her right hand towards the summoning circle. _I'm going to do it, Kiritsugu. I'm going to make your dream come true, no matter what!

"_Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Five perfections for each repetition. And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead!_

"_Ye first, O silver, O iron. O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract. Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg._

_Let the descending winds be as a wall. Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve._

"_My proposition: Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade._

_If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond._

"_Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, come past they restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance – !" _

_At the halfway point of this chant, the circle shone with blue light. Once it was through, the light exploded and illuminated the entire room. When it faded, a young-looking girl stood in the middle of the circle. A dress that was white like snow, a hemline that resembled a lily, Titania's enchanted ribbon tied delicately into her hair; this was, without a doubt, Arturia Pendragon._

"_Servant Saber has arrived, as summoned," the Queen of Knights said, staring straight at Iri. "I ask you, are you my Master."_

"_Yes," Iri said without hesitation._

"_...Great!" An unusually large smile made its way to Saber's face. "Let's get along well, okay?"_

"_? ...Okay…" Iri thought she was prepared for anything. Apparently a super cheery Servant didn't count amongst the things labeled as "anything". _


End file.
